Metal cabinet locking mechanism



Sept. 23,1958 G. cHr-:RvENKA 2,852,926

v METAL- CABINET LOCKING MECHANISM Filed DSG.l 10, 1954 W 1N V EN TOR.

/7 GEoYRGE CHERVENKA United ,States Patent Otiice METAL CABINET LOCKING MECHANISM George R. Chervenka, St. Louis, Mo., assignor, by mesne assignments, to Medart Lockers, Inc., a corporation of Mississippi Application December 10, 1954, Serial No. 474,424

6 Claims. (Cl. 70-79) This invention relates in general to certain new and useful improvements in met-al cabinets or so-called lockers and, more particularly, to a spring balanced locking device for use with such cabinets or lockers.

Most types of lockers which are currently in use have vertically shiftable latch-bars and operating linkage constituting a mechanism which is of substantially heavy construction. Consequently, it is necessary to provide such mechanism with an external handle of reasonable size, affording the user suicient leverage to permit manual operation. In conjunction with the handle, it is also usual practice to supply a key-actuated lock which prevents unauthorized movement of the handle. Obviously, considerable expense and inconvenience could be avoided if the key-actuated lock -could serve the additional function of manipulating the latching mechanism. Etorts which have been made thus far to -accomplish such results have employed complicated counterbalancing means to compensate for the weight of the latching mechanism and such means are expensive to manufacture and install.

It is, therefore, the primary object of the present invention to provide a counterbalanced latching mechanism for use in cabinet structures, such as lockers and the like.

lt is another object of the present invention to provide a latching mechanism of the type, and for the purpose, stated having a relatively inexpensive counterbalancing spring which can be installed and adjusted very simply and quickly and makes it possible to operate the latching mechanism manually by means of the key and lock, thereby eliminating handles and similar accessory devices.

With the above and other objects in view, my invention resides 4in the novel features of form, construction, arrangement, and combination of parts presently described and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawing (one sheet)- Figure l is a perspective View of a locker having a counterbalanced latching mechanism constructed in accordance with and embodying the present invention;

Figures 2 and 3 are fragmentary sectional views taken along lines 2-2 and 3-3, respectively, of Figure l;

Figure 4 is an exploded view of the counterbalancing lock-structure forming a part of the present invention; and

Figure is a fragmentary sectional view taken along line 5-5 of Figure 3.

Referring now in more detail and by reference characters to the drawing, which illustrates a preferred embodiment of the present invention, A designates a locker fabricated from sheet metal and including a front wall 1 having a rectangular door frame 2 and a door 3 hingedly mounted along one vertical margin thereof. Along the interior face of its other or free margin, the door 3 is provided with a tubular stile 4 for shiftably supporting a channel-shaped locking bar 5 having slots 6, 6', for engagement with latch-members 7, 7, so that the locking bar 5, when it is lifted upwardly, becomes disengaged with the latch-members 7, 7', and the door 3 can then be swung open.

Mounted in the door 3 adjacent the stile 4 is a tumbler lock 8 having an externally threaded tubular shell 9 which is attened along its sides to provide diametrally opposite lands 10, 10', which seat within a matching aperture in the door 3 and prevent the shell 9 from turning. Formed integrally upon the forward or outer end of the shell 9 is a stop flange 11 for abutment against the forward face of the door 3 and operatively mounted within the shell 9 is a substantially conventional tumbler barrel 12 which has a key-slot 13 opening on its front face and a flat shouldered boss 14 projected rearwardly beyond the end face 15 of the shell 9 for receiving a radially projecting arm 16 secured thereto by a screw 17. The arm 16 is olset as at 18 and is provided with a tongue 19 for operative engagement in a slot 20 formed in a side face of the locking bar. Set into the end face 15 of the shell 9 and also projecting rearwardly therefrom is a stop-pin 21 for limiting upward swinging movement of the radial arm 16.

Disposed externally upon the shell 9, in successive order from the user and outwardly toward the stop flange 11, is a spiral spring 22, lock-nuts 23, 24, `and `a collar-ring 25 having a circumferential ear 26 provided with an aperture 27. The spring 22 is integrally provided at its ends with hooks 28, 29, for engagement, respectively, in the aperture 27 and with the oiset 18 of the radial `arm 17, as best seen in Figure 2.

When the lock S is installed in the door 3, the arm 16 is manually held in the position shown in Figure 3 and the lock-nuts 23, 24, rim up snugly, but not tightly. Thereupon, the collar-ring 25 is manually rotated to impose tension on the spring 22 or wind it up, as it may be said. The amount of rotation of the collar-ring 25 may be only an eighth or a quarter of :a turn or however much is needed so that the tensional force in the spring, when the door 3 is in locked position, will be just about equal to the weight of the locking bar 5. The lock-nuts 23, 24, are then tightened down securely to hold the lock 8 rigidly in place and bind the collar-ring 25 in its adjusted position. Normally, the tumbler barrel 12 is locked non-rotatively within the shell 9 when the arm 16 is in horizontal or locked position. When, however, a proper key (not shown) is inserted through the key-slot 13, the tumbler barrel 12 is released in the conventional manner and can be rotated, swinging the tongue 19 in the direction of the arrow in Figure 3 and, thereby, lifting the locking bar 5. The tensional force in the spring 22 offsets practically all of the Weight of the locking bar 5 so that the only manual effort required is that necessary to turn the tumbler barrel 12 and overcome the friction of the moving parts. Since the weight of the locking bar 5 and the other forces involved will vary somewhat as between different lockers A, the tensional force in the spring 22 can be Very easily and quickly adjusted to each individual structure to obtain very precise counterbalan-cing to whatever extent may be necessary or desirable.

It should be understood that changes and modifications in the form, construction, arrangement, and combination of `the several parts of the metal cabinets may be made and substituted for those herein shown and described without departing from the nature and principle of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what l claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A locking mechanism for locker doors and the like which comprises in combination a vertically shiftable locking bar, a lock having a key-released rotatable barrel, a rockable link attached to the barrel for movement therewith and projecting outwardly therefrom for operative connection to the locking bar, and a coiled spring disposed around the barrel with one end held stationary Patented Sefpt. 23, 1958 as the barrel rotates and the other end fastened to the link, said spring being under torsion when the locking bar is in locked position so that as the barrel is 'turned to unlockedy position the torsion in the spring will be applied to the link in counterbalancing the weight of the locking bar.

2. A locking mechanism for locker doors and the like which comprises in combination a vertically shiftable locking bar, a lock having a key-released rotatable barrel, a rockable link attached to the barrel for movement therewith land projecting outwardly therefrom for operative connection to the locking bar, a coiled spring disposed around the barrel with one end held stationary as the barrel rotates and the other end fastened to the link, said spring being under torsion when the locking bar is in locked position so that as the barrel is turned to unlocked position the torsion in the spring will be applied to the link in counterbalancing the weight of the locking bar,` and means for securing said one end of the spring in any one of a plurality of selected positions around the barrel for varying the tension in the spring.

3. A locking mechanism for locker doors and the like which comprises in combination a vertically shiftable locking bar, a lock having a key-released rotatable barrel, a rockable link attached to the barrel for movement therewithI and projecting outwardly therefrom for operative connection to the locking bar, and a helical spring disposed `around the lock, said spring being fastened at one end so as to be immovable with respect to the lock and fastened at its other end to the link for applying thereto a force substantially equal to lthe weight of `the locking bar.

4. A locking mechanism for locker doors and the like which comprises in combination a vertically shiftable locking bar, a lock having ya tubular outer shell with a key-released barrel rotatably mounted therein, a rockable link attached to the barrel for movement therewith and projecting outwardly therefrom for operative connection to the locking bar, and a helical spring disposed around the shell, said spring being fastened at one end so as to be immovable with respect to the lock and fastened at its other end to the link for applying thereto a force substantially equal tol the weight of the locking bar.

5. A locking mechanism for locker doors and the like which comprises in combination a vertically shiftable locking bar, a lock having a tubular outer shell with a key-released barrel rotatably mounted therein, a rockable link attached to `the'barrel` for movement therewith and projecting outwardly therefrom for operative connection to the locking bar, a helical spring disposed around the shell, a collar rotatably mounted on the shell, and locking means for securing the collar in 'any selected position, said Spring being fastened at one end to the collar so as to be immovable with respect to the lock and fastened at its other end to the link for applying thereto a force substantially equal to the weight of the locking bar.

6. A locking mechanism for locker `doors and the like which comprises in combination a vertically shiftable locking bar, a lock having a ltubular outer shell with a key-released barrel rotatably mounted therein, a rockable link attached to the barrel for movement therewith and projecting outwardly therefrom for operative connection to the locking bar, a helical spring disposed around the shell and having one end fastened to the link for applying thereto a force substantially equal to the weight of the locking bar, and means for rigidly securing the other end of the spring at -a plurality of selected positions around the shell, whereby to vary the tension of said Spring.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 302,796 Taylor July 29, 1884 1,309,438 Keefer July 8, 1919 1,515,611 OConnor Nov. 18, 1924 2,197,103 Gray Apr. 16, 1940 2,309,863 North Feb. 2, 1943 2,665,932 Moler Jan. 12, 1954 2,740,284 Gray Apr. 3, 1956 2,742,662 Lyons Apr. 24, 1956 

